Naruto Chronicles V2 Vol3
by UltimaShishigawa
Summary: It's time for the Chunin exam finals! After a month of training with separate senseis, Naruto, Sasuke and Neo are ready to become Chunin. However, someone has other ideas and is plotting the downfall of the Hidden Leaf. Will Team 7 survive what's in store? And when the dust clears, who will remain standing? Find out!
1. Chapter 1

UltimaShishigawa: Hey everyone! After a long hiatus, I'm back with the next chapter in the Naruto Chronicles V.2 series. This volume will complete the chunin exams arc and lead toward the final two volumes of the Naruto Chronicles V.2 and I hope you'll all be there to read it. I've also had some trouble deciding who will leave the village at the end of volume 5, but I've finally decided. However, I won't let the cat out of the bag just yet. Enjoy! :)

Disclaimer: UltimaShishigawa doesn't own Naruto, or it's characters. All rights belong to Masashi Kishimoto.

* * *

><p>Chapter 13: The Final Exam Begins Part 1! Results of Training!<p>

-One month later-

Neo Uchiha tossed some shuriken at the three logs in the middle of training ground 7. Over the course of the month Neo had trained under Neosha he had learned to condense the flames of the great fire annihilation to make the jutsu more powerful, practiced with the rasengan and chidori and had mastered the light style: white flame jutsu. Currently, he was practicing with shuriken and kunai.

Neo tossed a few dozen more shuriken before pulling out a few kunai. He then backflipped and threw the kunai. The kunai embedded themselves in the logs along with the shuriken. Neo took a second to catch his breath before he formed a few handsigns and breathed in deeply.

"FIRE STYLE: GREAT FIRE BALL JUTSU!" Neo exclaimed before he blew a large fire ball straight into the sky. Neo hunched over and placed his hands on his knees as he tried to regain his breath. Neosha, who had been watching from his spot near the pond, was impressed with Neo's stamina.

'_He's improved over the past month. He's about to drop also, but he keeps going even though he's just about out of chakra. I'd better intervene now before he drops from chakra exhaustion._' thought Neosha as he stood up.

"Hey Neo, it's time to stop!" said Neosha as he started walking toward the boy. Neo shook his head.

"No way! The finals are tomorrow and I have to be prepared for my fight with Sasuke!" said Neo. Neosha raised an eyebrow.

"How do you know you'll be facing Sasuke in the finals?" asked Neosha. Neo rubbed the back of his head nervously.

"I left a clone back at the arena where the preliminaries took place before I came here. After the names were drawn my clone popped and I found that I was matched against some guy named Nova Hyuga in the second match. Sasuke is gonna have to fight that Gaara guy after my match and if we win our respective matches then we'll get to fight each other." Neo admitted. Neosha gave Neo a serious expression.

"You need to be careful about that Gaara kid. He's..." said Neosha before he was interrupted.

"I know. He's just like Naruto and I. That's why I have to face him..." said Neo. "Maybe by facing him I could..." Suddenly, a kunai embedded itself in the ground between the two Uchiha causing the youngest of the two to jump back. When Neo landed on his feet he didn't have time to dodge the other two kunai that were flying at him. Neo tried to move, but he quickly found himself pinned to a tree with kunai embedded in the shoulders of his shirt. Fortunately, the kunai had missed his shoulders...barely.

"The hell-?!" asked Neo before being interrupted by the appearance of a certain snake mistress.

"Well, if it ain't my favorite play toy." said one Anko Mitarashi.

"A-ANKO?! The hell are you doing here? And why the hell did you attack me with those kunai?" asked a surprised Neo. Anko chuckled as she walked up to Neo with that all too familiar sway of her hips. Anko noticed how Neo's hair had grown slightly longer for it now covered his left eye slightly, but he kept it from covering his right. (AN: Think Obito when he went to save Kakashi and Rin from the Mist ninja, but with slightly shorter hair.) As she reached Neo she placed both hands on the tree on either side of Neo's head.

"And what's so wrong about visiting my favorite student who, might I remind you, I haven't seen in a whole month?" asked Anko in an innocent tone which Neo knew was anything, but innocent. Neo glared daggers at the snake mistress.

"Whatever the hell you're thinking about doing, forget it." said Neo. Anko gave Neo a look of mock hurt.

"Why is it that everytime I visit you, you think I'm gonna do something?" asked Anko in a fake hurt tone. Neo shook his head in defiance.

"That's not gonna work on me! You pulled that same trick on me during those ten days that you trained me in the Forest of Death before the chunin exams. I know all your tricks!" said Neo. Anko chuckled darkly.

"You do, huh? Then what about...THIS!" Anko shouted as she drew her hand back and produced three kunai before thrusting them forward and stabbing them in Neo's stomach. Neo's eyes widened as he looked down at the kunai embedded in his stomach. Blood leaked out of the wounds and dripped on to the ground as Neo looked up at Anko who had a sadistic smile on her face.

However, Neo flashed her a smirk before he suddenly disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Anko's eyes widened in shock before she felt the cool tip of a kunai pressed against the back of her neck. She turned her head slightly only to see Neo standing there holding the kunai to the back of her neck. Neo, with the smirk his clone had on his face, opened his eyes to reveal he had his Sharingan active.

"Heh heh, even that." said Neo as he removed the kunai from Anko's neck before playfully twirling it on his index finger. Neosha, who had watched the whole thing from where he stood, laughed inwardly as he saw the shocked look on Anko's face. Anko yanked the kunai in the tree out before turning toward Neo whilst glaring daggers at the young Uchiha.

"How the hell did you do that?" Anko growled out in anger at her trick failing to get a rise out of the young Uchiha. Neo grinned as he deactivated his Sharingan.

"The second the first kunai came at me I substituted myself with a shadow clone and while my clone kept you preoccupied I hid in the tree you pinned my clone to." Neo explained. "The second my clone popped I jumped down behind you and, well, you know the rest. Never let your guard down, Anko. Hahahahaha!" Anko continued glaring at Neo as she walked over to him. Neo's laughter died down as he watched Anko walk toward him.

'_I sense danger._' thought Neo as he watched Anko warily. Anko walked up to Neo before smiling sadisticly.

"All right, brat. You think you're so strong, huh? Then let's see how strong you've gotten over the past month." said Anko. Neo looked at Anko with bewilderment.

"What? No way! I have to get ready for tomorrow! Later." said Neo as he turned to walk away. Immediately, he dodged to avoid the snakes that shot at him. Neo then looked back to see Anko with that same sadistic smile.

"What the hell are you doing, Anko?!" Neo asked before having to dodge several more snakes. Anko then rushed at Neo with kunai in hand and made to slash at his chest. Seeing this Neo quickly pulled out a kunai and blocked the attack.

"It wasn't a request. It was a demand." said Anko causing Neo to go wide eyed. Anko then forced Neo back before shooting out more snakes from her trench coat sleeves. Neo activated his Sharingan and quickly avoided the serpents.

"YOU ARE INSANE! ABSOLUTELY INSANE!" Neo yelled as he avoided even more of the annoying serpents. Anko then appeared behind Neo and slashed at his back with a kunai, but Neo quickly jumped to avoid. However, Anko then appeared above him and swung her fist.

With no way to avoid the blow, Neo brought up his arms to block the punch. When the punch connected Neo was sent hurtling to the ground. Anko landed on the ground and watched as the dust cleared to show Neo lying on the ground face down. Neo then placed his hands on the ground and painfully lifted himself to his feet.

"THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU, ANKO?!" Neo yelled/asked as he glared at the snake mistress. Anko chuckled darkly.

"If this is all the power you've gotten over the past month then I don't see how you'll win the chunin exams." said Anko as she playfully twirled the kunai around her index finger. Neo growled with angry at the jab Anko made at his level of power.

"In fact I don't see how you'll ever achieve your dream at all. You're just too weak." Anko continued. Neo was now seething with anger as red chakra slowly leaked out of his body. Neosha noticed this immediately.

'_You'd better stop, Anko, or you gonna regret it._' thought Neosha as he continued to observe the situation.

"I don't see how you could even follow your ninja way if you're this weak. You'll probably end up getting the person you're trying to protect killed, or some-." Anko was interrupted by a clawed hand clamping down on her throat before being lifted off her feet. She looked down at the person responsible before going wide eyed.

Neo was surrounded by red and purple chakra. He then looked up at Anko with a murderous glare to reveal his eyes were blood red with slits for pupils and the black flame like tattoos of the Curse Mark had covered the left side of his face and body. He then flashed her a crooked grin showing his enlonged k9's.

"**My turn, bitch.**" said Neo (Curse Mark 1st state/Ten-Tails' chakra). He then punched Anko in the stomach sending the snake mistress flying back. Neo then appeared underneath Anko before kicking her in the back and sending her flying straight up. As she flew up, Neo appeared above her before elbowing her in the stomach causing her to cough up blood before she flew straight down and impacted the ground causing a crater to form where she landed.

'_Damn, that actually hurt... a lot._' thought Anko as she looked up in time to see Neo land on the ground. The raven haired jinchuriki then approached the snake mistress. Reaching down, Neo grabbed Anko by the throat and lifted her up before holding his right hand up and pointing it like a dagger. However, a hand grabbed Neo's wrist causing the jinchuriki to look back and see Neosha Uchiha.

"That's enough, Neo. I didn't teach you how to access a portion of the Ten-Tailed Wolf's chakra for this. You've already made your point." said Neosha. Neo looked at Neosha for a few moments before he released his grip on Anko's throat allowing the snake mistress to drop to the ground. Neo's features returned to normal and the Curse Mark receded back to it's original position before Neo knelt down and placed his hands on Anko's stomach.

Suddenly, Neo's hands became encased in green chakra as Anko's wounds began to disappear. During the course of Neo's training Neosha decided to teach Neo medical ninjutsu. It took Neo a couple of weeks to get a grasp on it, but he managed to learn the basics.

-Later-

Neo was sporting several anime bumps thanks to Anko after she was fully healed and woke up.

"I said I was sorry!" said Neo as he nursed his injured head. Anko crossed her arms under her breasts as she glared at him.

"In that case, you are gonna pay for all the dango I want this week." said Anko causing Neo to look up at her with wide eyes.

"NO WAY IN HELL! You go through dango like Naruto goes through ramen! I'm surprised you haven't blown up like a balloon yet." said Neo.

BAM!

Neo now sported another bump on his head that was steaming slightly while the young Uchiha was sprawled out on the ground with anime swirling eyes.

"For your information, idiot, dango is the reason for why I have such a generous bosom." said Anko as she pushed her breasts together in a suggestive manner while smirking. Neo then sat up before shaking his head to get his senses straight.

"While I agree you are...gifted...I wouldn't go so far as to say it's generous. Besides, once you get in your elder years your breasts will start to sag." said Neo. Several tick marks formed on Anko's forehead.

BAM! POW!

Neo was once again sprawled out on the ground, but this time sporting a black eye and a busted lip. Anko huffed.

"My breasts do not and WILL NOT sag!" said Anko. Neo sat up as his eye and lip healed instantly. Being a jinchuriki to the Ten-Tailed Wolf did have it's perks.

"You don't know that for sure! For all you know, you could become an old shriveled up hag with nothing to keep you company, but cats." said Neo with a smirk. He knew he was cruisin' for a bruisin', but he enjoyed the fact that he could get under Anko's skin just as much as she could get under his. A tick mark appeared on Anko's cheek as she shook with anger.

"Yer dead meat, ya little shit." said Anko before she pounced on Neo. Dirt was kicked up during their scuffle which kept them hidden from Neosha's view. He sweat dropped as he watched the two bicker and fight. Every now and then Neosha would catch a glimpse of Anko holding Neo in a head lock, or Neo sitting on Anko's back while pulling her leg back as far as he could.

'_These two argue like brothers and sisters. And Anko is a chunin so she should be setting an example. Not being tricked by cheap taunts._' thought Neosha. When the dust cleared, Neo and Anko were revealed to have each other in a head lock.

"Uh, if I may interject..." said Neosha gaining the attention of the other two ninja. "...What kinda relationship do you two have?" Neo's eyes widened in shock as his jaw fell open. His grip on Anko loosened allowing her to get free.

"Well, if you must know..." said Anko with a flirty tone before she wrapped her arms around Neo's neck from behind and smothered the back of his head between her breasts. "...Neo here is my boy toy that I get to play with every night." Neo quickly grabbed Anko's arms before prying himself out of her grip. He then turned to her with a glare.

"L-LIKE HELL I'M YOUR BOY TOY! W-we haven't even seen each other since the end of the second part of the exam! And besides, we've never kissed! And don't you dare say we have because genjutsu doesn't count! How could I be called an Uchiha if I weren't able to tell reality from genjutsu!" exclaimed Neo as he flailed his arms around.

-Meanwhile-

A genin ninja was watching these events from his perch in the trees. The boy had silver spiky hair and lavender pupiless eyes. He had a claw like scar on the left side of his face which went from his jaw to his neck. He wore a black tank top with matching pants and ninja sandals. He also had a headband with a metal forehead protector which had a picture of a waterfall engraved on it.

"So that's Neo Uchiha?" the boy asked himself before he closed his eyes.

"BYAKUGAN!" the boy whispered before veins bulged around his eyes. He then opened his eyes and focused on Neo. His eyes widened in shock at what he saw.

'_What is that chakra coursing through his chakra network? The blue chakra is obviously his own, but there is also red chakra and purple mixed in, too._' thought the boy.

"She was right. He is the Ten-Tailed Wolf jinchuriki." said the boy as the veins around his eyes disappeared. "I'd better let Fu know." With that, he disappeared.

-Back with the other three-

After finally getting the facts straight, Neo looked at Neosha with a questioning look.

"Come to think of it, that Nova Hyuga guy had a forehead protector, but it had a waterfall engraved on it. What's the deal on that? I thought all members of the Hyuga clan lived in the Leaf." said Neo.

"Do you know about the other countries and the other hidden villages?" asked Neosha. Neo nodded his head.

"Of course I do. Iruka-sensei taught it to everyone back in the academy." said Neo. Neosha nodded his head.

"Well, the waterfall engraved on that Hyuga boy's headband is the symbol of the Village Hidden in the Waterfall. It's a little village with little to no ninja at all and you are mostly correct. Most all members of the Hyuga clan live here in the Hidden Leaf, but there are others who live in other hidden villages." Neosha explained.

"So then, Nova is from Hidden Waterfall Village?" asked Neo. Neosha nodded his head. All of a sudden, said Hyuga appeared along with a genin kunoichi. The kunoichi had green shoulder length hair with an orange clip in it and orange pupiless eyes. She wore a white sleeveless tank top that showed off her flat stomach with a chain mail tube top underneath. She also wore a white skirt with chain mail shorts, white ninja sandals, white arm warmers and a large red sack on her back. She had her Hidden Waterfall headband tied around her right arm.

"Speak of the devil." Anko commented.

"You're Neo Uchiha, correct?" asked Nova. Neo nodded his head.

"Last I checked, yeah." said Neo. However, Neo gripped his chest as a burning sensation shot through him.

'_W-what's this burning in my chest? I was fine until these two showed up. When I look at that Nova guy it isn't that bad, but when I look at that girl next to him..._' thought Neo as he looked at the girl only for her to give him a grin. '_It's her. I'm not sure if it's on purpose, or unintentional, but she's the cause of it._' At that moment, however, Neo remembered something Neosha told him.

-Flashback-

_It was about a week into Neo's training. He had been working on his fire style jutsus when he thought of something._

_"Hey old man!" said Neo. Neosha, who was sitting by the lake, looked over at Neo with a slight glare._

_"Just because my hair is white doesn't mean I'm old." said Neosha. Neo just chuckled._

_"I was wondering." said Neo. "If I'm the Ten-Tailed Wolf jinchuriki and Naruto is the Nine-Tailed Fox jinchuriki, then who are the other eight?" Neosha looked at the water before answering._

_"I only know about the One-Tailed jinchuriki. I don't know about the others." Neosha explained. "Tell me, have you felt anything around anyone?" Neo gave Neosha a look of confusion._

_"What do you mean?" asked Neo. Neosha sighed as he tried to think of an example._

_"Have you ever been around someone you didn't know, but felt like you knew them?" asked Neosha. Neo thought about it for a second._

_"Well, besides Naruto, the only other person was that Gaara guy." Neo said with a shrug of his shoulders. "I felt this weird burning sensation in my chest, but I just chalked it up to something I ate." Neosha nodded his head._

_"Understandable. What you felt was the Ten-Tailed Wolf's chakra reacting to another tailed beast's chakra." said Neosha. "It happens when a jinchuriki comes into contact with another jinchuriki. The experience is different amongst jinchuriki, but in the end it's the same." Neo nodded his head in understanding._

_"Whenever you feel that burning sensation that means another like you is close by." said Neosha._

-Flashback end-

'_She's a jinchuriki, too. But, I didn't see her at the first part of the exam, or the second part._' thought Neo. "So what? You want to fight me, or something?" Nova shook his head.

"No, but she does." said Nova as he pointed at the kunoichi. Said kunoichi waved at Neo.

"The names Fu!" said the girl. Neo gave her a questioning look.

"Why do you want to fight me?" asked Neo. Fu just grinned.

"Because I've seen your other fights during the exams. You've gotta be the strongest genin in the village!" said Fu. Neo chuckled as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Well, I wouldn't say the strongest, but I am pretty strong." said Neo. "But I'm not up for a fight." Fu gave him a surprised look.

"How come?" asked Fu.

"Well, I have to get ready for tomorrow and I also don't like hitting girls." said Neo. Anko then spoke up.

"Then how come you hit me with no restraint?" asked Anko. Neo held his hands behind his head as he looked at Anko with a lazy glance.

"Because you're too manly to be a girl." said Neo. A tick mark formed on Anko's forehead.

BAM!

Neo was laying face first on the ground with an anime bump on the back of his head that was steaming. Anko smirked as she folded her arms under her breasts.

"Then what are these?" asked Anko. Neo sat up while rubbing the bump.

"Breasts, but they're probably fake anyway." said Neo causing several tick marks to form on Anko's forehead.

BAM! POW! BOOM!

Neo laid on the ground with two more anime bumps and a black eye.

'_I...should probably shut up._' thought Neo as his healing factor kicked in making the bumps disappear as well as the black eye. He then stood up.

"Anyway, I have to be ready so I'm afraid I'll have to pass. Maybe some other time." said Neo as he turned to leave. Fu then spoke up.

"What if we considered it training?" asked Fu. Neo stopped mid step.

'_Hook, line and sinker._' thought Anko and Neosha. Neo turned back to Fu with a big grin.

"Well, if you put it that way, then okay!" said Neo. The others backed away to give the two jinchuriki some room. A full minute passed before Fu made the first move by going through hand seals.

"SECRET ART: HIDDEN GALE JUTSU!" shouted Fu as she breathed in deeply before blowing out a strange thick pollen that surrounded the two and obscured Neo's vision.

"Huh? Where did she-?" asked Neo before he was interrupted when he felt something cut his shoulder. Turning to his left, he threw a punch, but only managed to hit air. He then felt something cut his back before quickly spinning on his heel and throw another punch, but his fist only met air again.

'_Damn it! I can't see her! How am I suppose to beat an opponent I can't see?!_' thought Neo. His eyes widened, however, when he remembered something Neosha told him.

-Flashback-

_"But if I get this feeling every time I'm around another like me, then wouldn't it get in the way?" asked Neo. Neosha shook his head._

_"Not exactly." said Neosha earning a look of confusion from the young Uchiha. "If you allow it to get in the way, then it will. However, you can also use it to keep track of your opponent if they're like you."_

-Flashback end-

'_That could work._' thought Neo as he closed his eyes. '_The feeling gets weaker the further away she is, but it gets stronger the closer she is. So all I have to do is wait._' Fu, who had been waiting for Neo to make a move, noticed that he had closed his eyes.

'_What's he doing? Nova told me about his sharin-thingy, but this pollen clouds me from his vision so it would be useless. Oh well, might as well end this._' thought Fu before she dashed toward Neo with a kunai in hand. As she got close, Fu thrust the kunai forward intent on piercing Neo's back. However, just as the kunai was about to meet it's target, Neo spun around and caught Fu's hand with the kunai in it.

"What?!" asked a surprised Fu. Neo smirked as he opened his eyes.

"I see you." said Neo before he twisted Fu's arm forcing her to release the kunai. He then did a sweeping kick and knocked Fu off her feet before throwing her to the side. Neo then ran through hand seals as his eyes changed into the Sharingan. Fu sat up and looked toward Neo in time to see him inhale

"FIRE STYLE: DRAGON FLAME JUTSU!" shouted Neo as he blew a large stream of fire that took the shape of a dragon. The fire dragon screeched before rushing at Fu. The kunoichi's eyes widened in shock as she watched the dragon speed towards her.

'_I can't get out of the way fast enough!_' thought Fu. As the dragon got close to her, however, it suddenly dissolved. A confused Fu looked toward Neo.

"W-why didn't you hit me with that jutsu?" asked Fu as she stood up. Neo just grinned.

"It wasn't meant for you." said Neo earning a look of confusion from the orange eyed kunoichi. "You haven't noticed? Look around." Fu looked around and noticed something was gone.

"The pollen...!" said a surprised Fu. Neo grinned a cheeky grin.

"Yup, the jutsu was meant to burn the pollen away. Not to hit you." said Neo. Fu looked back at the young Uchiha.

"Pretty clever, but I still got plenty of surprises." said Fu as she looked Neo in the eye. Neo gave Fu a curious look.

"Such as...?" asked Neo. Suddenly, thousands of shuriken came raining down on Neo. The genin looked up in time to see the shuriken coming toward him.

"Oh shi-!" said Neo before he was bombarded by the shuriken cutting him all over as they fell. Fu then made a single hand seal.

"FIRE STYLE: FIRE BALL JUTSU!" shouted Fu before she inhaled deeply and blew a fire ball straight at the raven haired genin who was covered head to toe in cuts and had several shuriken stuck in him. Neo saw the fire ball coming his way, but couldn't move due to a couple of shuriken stuck in his legs. Neo reached down to remove the shuriken, but noticed a black substance on them.

"W-what the-? OIL!" Neo shouted the last part as he realized what the substance was. Little good it did for he was then engulfed in the fire ball.

"AAAAAAAAAARRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHH!" Neo screamed in pain as he was set ablaze before he collapsed. Fu's eyes widened in shock.

'_OH NO, I DIDN'T MEAN TO GO OVER BOARD!_' thought Fu as she rushed over toward the fallen genin. As she reached Neo's burning body, however, the remains suddenly disappeared causing Fu to stop. She then felt the cool tip of a kunai against the back of her neck. Turning her head just enough to see over her left shoulder, Fu's eyes widened in shock to see a relatively unharmed Neo, save for the cuts she made on him in the pollen, smirking as he held the kunai.

"Gotcha." said Neo.

"How?" asked a shocked and confused Fu.

"How am I still alive? What you caught on fire was a genjutsu version of me." said Neo.

"Genjutsu? But when did you catch me in one?" asked Fu. Neo's smirk then turned into a full blown grin as he lowered the kunai, allowing Fu to turn and face him as he deactivated his Sharingan.

"When you looked me in the eye." Neo explained.

"When I looked you in the-?" asked Fu before she gasped as she remembered.

-Flashback-

_"Pretty clever, but I still got plenty of surprises." said Fu as she looked Neo in the eye. Neo gave Fu a confused look._

_"Such as...?" asked Neo._

-Flashback end-

"You caught me in a genjutsu then?" asked Fu. Neo nodded his head.

"Yep! The thing about the Sharingan is that when you look an Uchiha in the eyes while their Sharingan is active, then a genjutsu is activated instantly." said Neo. "But I noticed something." Fu gave Neo a curious look.

"And what did you notice?" asked Fu. Neo grinned.

"You weren't really serious. I would've had a harder time if you had actually been trying." said Neo causing Fu to blush out of embarrassment.

"W-well, I was just testing you to see how strong you really were!" said Fu as she puffed out her cheeks. "And besides, you weren't giving it your all either!" Neo chuckled.

"True, but I have to admit that you were definitely a handful." said Neo. He then walked closer to Fu before leaning toward her ear.

"And being a jinchuriki also helps." whispered Neo causing Fu to go wide eyed. Neo pulled away before giving Fu an ear to ear grin.

"How did you know I'm a jinchuriki?" asked Fu. Neo simply thumbed his chest. It took Fu a second to register what he meant before she nodded her head in understanding. Neo then yawned.

"Anyway, I beat! I'm gonna head home and catch some shut eye." said Neo as he turned and started walking away. However, he stopped and looked back at Fu.

"How about a rematch sometime? No holding back." said Neo. Fu gave Neo a big grin.

"Sure!" said Fu as she nodded her head. Neo then looked toward Neosha, Nova and Anko.

"I hope you're ready for tomorrow, Nova." said Neo. Nova smirked.

"More than ready." said Nova. Neo got a smirk of his own.

"Then I'll see you in the arena tomorrow!" said Neo before he disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

-Next Chapter: The Final Exam Begins Part II: Naruto Uzumaki vs Neji Hyuga!-

* * *

><p>UltimaShishigawa: Well, that wraps that up! Sorry that I changed my name again, but I did it for privacy reasons. Anyway, read, review, comment, but don't flame! Peace out, and have a Merry Christmas!<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

UltimaShishigawa: Hey everyone! Here is the second chapter of Naruto Chronicles V2 Vol.3 and the fourteenth chapter overall of Naruto Chronicles V2! Hope ya enjoy! :)

Disclaimer: UltimaShishigawa doesn't own Naruto, or it's characters. They belong to Masashi Kishimoto.

* * *

><p>Chapter 14: The Final Exam Begins Part II: Naruto Uzumaki vs Neji Hyuga!<p>

-Evening-

Naruto was at Ichiraku Ramen getting some miso ramen and thinking over his training with the legendary toad sage Jiraiya.

'_I've gotten stronger and I can summon toads now thanks to Pervy Sage, but what if it's not enough?_' thought Naruto. '_Neo and Sasuke are super strong and they're training right now, but I'll have to face that Neji Hyuga if I wanna face them. Plus, I have to make him pay for hurting Hinata in the preliminaries!_' Ayame, Teuchi's daughter, looked at Naruto with worry.

'_Naruto..._' thought Ayame.

"Ayame." said Teuchi, breaking his daughter from her thoughts. Ayame looked at Teuchi only to be handed a bowl of steaming miso ramen. Ayame looked at the bowl before looking back at her father. Teuchi nodded his head.

"Here you go." said Ayame as she gave Naruto the ramen bowl. Naruto looked at the ramen bowl with confusion written all over his face. He then looked up at Teuchi and Ayame.

"Go ahead. Eat up! You're facing that Neji Hyuga kid in the first round, right? Well, ya can't do that on an empty stomach." said Teuchi. Naruto's confused look slowly changed into a full blown grin before he grabbed a pair of chopsticks and broke them.

"Thanks!" said Naruto before he dug in.

-The next morning-

Naruto sat up in his bed wearing his usual pajamas with his night cap. He sighed as he rubbed his eyes.

"So much for getting a goodnight's sleep." said Naruto as he got out of bed and proceeded to the bathroom to commence his daily ritual.

-Later-

Naruto, wearing his usual orange and blue jumpsuit with his headband tied around his forehead, was walking through the Hidden Leaf while still thinking about his upcoming battle with Neji. As he walked through the village he eventually found himself in his team's training ground. He then noticed Hinata standing in front of one of the four logs.

"Hinata?" asked Naruto causing the Hyuga girl to whip around only for her eyes to widen in surprise before she hid behind one of the logs.

"N-Naruto?! W-what are you doing here? The f-finals are about to b-b-begin." Hinata stuttered. Naruto chuckled nervously.

"Yeah, I was just..." Naruto trailed off as he looked away. Hinata became worried as she had never seen Naruto look so...nervous.

"I'm not sure if I can win." Naruto admitted. "I mean, I'm just the dead last. I'm not strong...and I'm not smart either. What if...what if I lose?"

"THAT'S NOT TRUE!" Hinata suddenly shouted catching Naruto by surprise. "Y-you may not be the strongest, o-or the smartest, b-but I know you'll win. Because you never go back on your word. T-that's what makes you strong! A-and I know you'll beat Neji." Naruto thought about Hinata's words before getting his usual foxy grin.

"You're right, Hinata! Thanks, I guess I just needed someone to encourage me." said Naruto as he turned to leave. However, he suddenly looked back at Hinata.

"Ya know, Hinata, I always thought you were..." said Naruto causing the Hyuga girl to blush. "...Kinda creepy, moody and down right strange." Naruto failed to notice Hinata's look of hurt as he turned back around and started walking away.

"But ya know, I've always sorta liked people like you." Naruto said causing Hinata's eyes to widen as her blush returned ten-fold. Once Naruto was gone, Kiba arrived.

"Yo Hinata, you ready to head to the stadium? They're about to start the finals." said Kiba. Hinata, however, didn't respond as she continued to stare in the direction Naruto had left.

"Hinata?" asked Kiba as he became confused as to why Hinata wasn't responding. He then looked in the direction Hinata was staring, but didn't see anything.

"What are ya lookin' at?" asked Kiba.

-Meanwhile-

"MOVE! GET OUTTA THE WAY!" shouted Naruto as he ran through the streets trying desperately to get to the arena. "Oh man, I'm so late!"

"Hey Naruto!" shouted a voice causing Naruto to stop and look to his right to see Konohamaru. Konohamaru's outfit didn't really change except he now wore green goggles just like Naruto's old ones instead of his gray helmet.

"Uh, hey Konohamaru! Look I don't have time to play. I have to get to the arena and I'm late enough as it is." said Naruto. Konohamaru smirked as he folded his arms over his chest.

"Who said anything about playing? I just so happen to know a shortcut that leads straight to arena!" said Konohamaru. Naruto got stars in his eyes.

"REALLY?!" asked/shouted Naruto. Konohamaru nodded his head before motioning for him to follow. Naruto followed Konohamaru down an alleyway before the two stopped at a fence.

"Huh? Konohamaru, this a dead end!" said Naruto as Konohamaru crawled around in the tall grass searching for something.

"No, it really is a shortcut! There is a hole somewhere around here that leads straight to the arena." said Konohamaru. He then spotted some metal leaned against the fence and grinned.

"AHA!" shouted Konohamaru. "No need to worry, Naruto. I found the hole! Now we can get to the aren-AH!" As he was saying this, Konohamaru removed the metal only to get a surprise.

"What, what, what?! What's wrong, Konohamaru?" asked Naruto. Konohamaru looked back at Naruto as he grinned nervously and sweatdropped.

"I think...the shortcut got boarded up." said Konohamaru as he revealed that the hole he had found was covered up by boards. A tick mark formed on Naruto's forehead.

"AH! THAT WAS A COMPLETE WASTE OF TIME! AND WHAT'S WORSE IS NOW I'M EVEN MORE LATE!" shouted Naruto. Konohamaru then jumped to his feet.

"Wait! I know of another shortcut!" said Konohamaru. Naruto shook his head.

"NO! NO MORE SHORTCUTS! I HAVE TO GET TO THE ARENA!" shouted Naruto as he turned to leave.

"But this is a sure thing! Follow me!" said Konohamaru as he grabbed Naruto's sleeve and led him out of the alleyway. Naruto sighed as he decided that, if Konohamaru was absolutely certain about this supposed shortcut, he would try it.

-A few minutes later-

"I don't know about this, Konohamaru." said Naruto as he and the Third Hokage's grandson stood in front of a manhole.

"C'mon Naruto, it's full proof! I've used it thousands of times!" said Konohamaru. Naruto sighed.

"At this point, I'm so desperate I'll try anything. Here goes nothing!" said Naruto as he got a determined look before jumping in with Konohamaru following after him. The two slid down the long tunnel.

"ARE WE ALMOST THERE YET?!" asked/shouted Naruto.

"YEAH! I CAN SEE A LIGHT UP AHEAD!" shouted Konohamaru as he spotted a small light at the end of the tunnel that got bigger as they got closer. Soon they came shooting out...of a tree that was near a tea shop and landed in the pond that surrounded the shop. Once they managed to get themselves out of the pond, Naruto got several tick marks as his iris and pupils disappeared and his teeth sharpened.

"KONOHAMARU!" Naruto shouted causing Konohamaru to cringe. "SHORTCUT MY ASS! THAT "SHORTCUT" LANDED US NEAR A TEA SHOP AND NOW WE'RE FUTHER AWAY THAN WE WERE TO BEGIN WITH!" Konohamaru nervously laughed before spotting a bull tied to a post.

"Wait, wait! I've got another idea!" said Konohamaru. Naruto's features returned to normal, but he was still glaring at Konohamaru.

"NO! NO MORE SHORTCUTS!" shouted Naruto. Konohamaru walked over to the bull and untied the rope before leading it back to Naruto. The Nine-Tails' jinchuriki gave Konohamaru a questioning look.

"A bull?" asked Naruto. Konohamaru shook his head.

"Not just any bull! The Feudal Lord's bull! It's way faster than even a champion racing horse!" said Konohamaru. Naruto then pictured a bull out running a racing horse. Once finished, Naruto sighed before hopping on the saddle on the bull's back.

"If you're POSITIVE this will work, then I'll try it." said Naruto. Konohamaru gave Naruto a thumbs up.

"Good luck in your match, Naruto!" said Konohamaru. Naruto gave Konohamaru a thumbs up.

"Yeah! Let's go, bull!" said Naruto as he kicked the heels of his ninja sandals into the bull's sides. The bull huffed once before throwing Naruto off causing him to land face first on the ground. Naruto then got up before looking back at the bull to see it stamping it's front right hoof on the ground. What Naruto didn't know was when he stood up the bull had seen the red Uzumaki swirl on the back of his jumpsuit jacket.

"Uh, nice bull. Nice bull." said Naruto as he slowly backed away. The bull let out a moo before charging at Naruto.

"AAAAHHH!" screamed Naruto as he ran from the bull as quickly as he could. As he ran, Naruto looked back to find the bull hot on his heels with several others joining the chase.

"WHY DOES IT ALWAYS HAPPEN TO ME?!" Naruto shouted. He then got an idea.

"I got it! SHADOW CLONE JUTSU!" said Naruto as he placed the index and middle fingers of his hands into the shape of a cross. Instantly, several shadow clones appeared in a cloud of smoke.

"All right, get these guys off my ass so I can get to the arena!" Naruto ordered his clones. After receiving a chorus of "Yes sir" the clones split up with some of the bulls breaking off from the herd to chase them. Naruto looked back to see that all the bulls were gone, but he continued to run so he could make it to the arena. However, the clones suddenly returned along with the herd of bulls that was now twice as large.

"Hey, I said to get these guys off my ass! What gives?" said the real Naruto.

"We tried, but more showed up!" said a clone. Soon they arrived at the arena entrance to find two chunin guards.

"GET OUTTA THE WAY!" Naruto shouted. The guards went wide eyed as they saw Naruto and his clones being chased by a large herd of bulls.

"IT'S TOO LATE TO ENTER!" shouted one of the guards before all the Narutos slammed into the guards and clogged the entrance. The real Naruto managed to worm his way out of the pile of clones.

"Take care of these guys for me!" said Naruto as he continued running. However, the herd of bulls slammed into the clones causing them all to pop in an explosion. The explosion propelled Naruto forward and sent him flying into the large arena before landing right in front of a wide eyed Shikamaru Nara.

"Naruto?" asked Shikamaru as he helped Naruto (who had anime swirly eyes) to his feet. Panicked, Naruto grabbed the front of Shikamaru's shirt.

"What happened to the bulls?" asked Naruto (normal). Shikamaru looked at Naruto with a confused look before prying Naruto's hands off his shirt.

"What bulls?" asked Shikamaru.

"The herd of bulls that chased me here! There must of been a million of..." Naruto trailed off as he looked at Temari, Gaara, Neji, Nova and Shino. He then realized something.

"Hey, where are Neo and Sasuke?" asked Naruto. Shikamaru sighed.

"Who knows." said Shikamaru. As if on cue, all the participants turned toward the entrance when they heard someone struggling.

"I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT ME! I'M IN THE FINALS AND I'LL BE DAMNED IF YOU'RE GONNA STOP ME FROM PARTICIPATING!" shouted a voice. "SHARINGAN!" Naruto grinned as he recognized the voice.

"He made it!" said Naruto. As Naruto said this, a figure walked into the arena only for him to be revealed as Neo Uchiha. Neo had his Sharingan active, but deactivated it when he saw Naruto.

"Yo! Sorry I'm late!" said Neo as he rushed over to Naruto and Shikamaru.

"Hey Neo! Long time, no see!" said Naruto as he greeted his best friend and fellow jinchuriki. Neo grinned.

"Yeah! Likewise." said Neo before he looked at Shikamaru. "Hey Shikamaru, how ya been?"

"I've been better." said Shikamaru as he gave Neo a lazy look. Neo chuckled.

"Hey!" said the proctor gaining all the genins' attention. The proctor for the finals wore the standard jonin attire, but he wore his headband like a bandana and he had brown hair with matching eyes. He also had a senbon sticking out of his mouth.

"Present yourselves with pride and dignity!" said the proctor. The eight genin present all looked around at the cheering crowd in the stadium.

"You guys are the heroes of this final exam." said the proctor.

-Hokage box-

Hiruzen Sarutobi was sitting in his chair in the Hokage box when a jonin appeared.

"Give me the report." said Sarutobi.

"Yes, Lord Third!" said the jonin. "While we were unable to locate Sasuke Uchiha, we are able to confirm that he is no longer Orochimaru's target." Sarutobi nodded his head.

"But..." said Sarutobi as he knew there was more to the report. The jonin sighed.

"We also confirmed...that Neo Uchiha is his target." said the jonin. "A squad of your personal Anbu went to the Uchiha compound and entered Neo Uchiha's home to find it ransacked. We guess that Orochimaru himself, or some of his followers, went there to abduct him. However, Neo Uchiha wasn't home at the time." Sarutobi sighed.

"Have the Anbu on high alert during the finals. They are not to permit anyone to approach Neo Uchiha if they look dangerous." ordered Sarutobi.

"Yes sir!" said the jonin before he disappeared. Just then, a man wearing a blue kimono with a white sash around his waist, a white coat, a white and blue hat with the insignia for the Land of Wind and a cloth over his nose and mouth appeared with several sand ninja at his side. Sarutobi looked toward the man and smiled.

"Welcome Lord Kazekage! You must be tired from having traveled all the way here." said Sarutobi as he stood and shook the Fourth Kazekage's hand.

"Not as tired as you must be, Lord Third. Don't you think it's time you chose a successor?" said the Fourth Kazekage as he took a seat in the chair next to the Third's. Sarutobi chuckled.

"I still have some life left in me and I plan on remaining here for a long time." said Sarutobi as he approached the rail. He then cleared his throat.

"WELCOME EVERYONE, TO THE FINALS OF THE CHUNIN SELECTION EXAM! WE THANK YOU FOR COMING ALL THIS WAY TO WITNESS THESE NINE FINALISTS AS THEY PROVE TO US THEY ARE READY TO BECOME CHUNIN! AT THIS TIME, WE ASK THAT NO ONE LEAVE UNTIL ALL THE FIGHTS ARE FINISHED! LET THE FINAL EXAM...BEGIN!" Sarutobi spoke loud and clear. Everyone in the stands cheered. The Fourth Kazekage gave Sarutobi a questioning look.

"Lord Third, you said there were nine finalists, but I count eight. One is missing." said the Fourth Kazekage. Sarutobi nodded his head as walked back over to his chair and sat down.

"Sasuke Uchiha is late, but he'll be here." said Sarutobi. The Kazekage looked back down at the finalists.

"That's all right. I'm more interested in Neo Uchiha's fight anyway. I heard he is quite powerful." said the Kazekage. Sarutobi nodded his head.

"He is a talented ninja. He even had the chance to be rookie of the year in the academy, but he turned it down saying that he didn't care about a title. All he wants is to prove to a certain someone how much he cares. He even puts his friends lives over his every own. I haven't seen a ninja like him since the death of one of my own students." said Sarutobi.

-Back in the arena-

"All right, line up and look at this paper." said the proctor as he pulled out a piece of paper. "Memorize the names and which battles go first." On the paper was each of the participants names and the order their fights went in. The order went: Naruto Uzumaki vs Neji Hyuga, Shikamaru Nara vs Temari, Neo Uchiha vs Nova Hyuga and Sasuke Uchiha vs Gaara with Shino Aburame as an extra fight to whoever made it to the last round (AN: He isn't getting special treatment. He just doesn't have an opponent in the first round.) Naruto raised his hand.

"Uh, I have a question." said Naruto. The proctor put the paper away before looking at Naruto.

"What is it?" asked the proctor.

"What is going to happen to Sasuke if he doesn't make it in time?" asked Naruto.

"If the participant isn't in the arena at the time his/her name is called, then they forfeit their match." said the proctor. Naruto's eyes widened as he looked toward the entrance.

'_Where is he? Sasuke wouldn't miss out on this._' thought Naruto.

"Don't worry." said Neo gaining Naruto's attention. "He'll be here. Remember what he said?"

-Flashback-

_"Naruto. Neo." said Sasuke as he looked at the two. "You two are the ones I want to fight the most."_

-Flashback end-

"Besides..." said Neo as he looked at Naruto and smirked. "You and Sasuke are the ones I wanna fight the most, too." Naruto got a big grin as he nodded his head.

"Yeah, he'll be here." said Naruto. "And then we'll all get to fight each other."

"All right, the first match is Naruto Uzumaki vs Neji Hyuga! Will all non-participants please move to the finalist's box?" said the proctor. Neo patted Naruto's shoulder.

"Good luck, Naruto. Show Neji what he gets for hurting Hinata like he did." said Neo. Naruto nodded his head.

"You bet I will! Believe it!" said Naruto. Neo grinned before disappearing.

-Stands-

Sakura Haruno and Ino Yamanaka were seated next to each other in the stands.

"See? I told you they would make it, Pig." said Sakura. Ino nodded her head.

"Yeah, but they were late...as usual." said Ino. Just then, Neo appeared in the stands causing the two kunoichi to jump from surprise.

"Hey Sakura, Ino! Long time, no see!" said Neo as he took a seat next to Sakura. The pinkette proceeded to smack Neo in the back of the head causing the Uchiha to lean forward as he held his head.

"OW! Hey, what was that for, Sakura?" asked Neo as he looked at his teammate and crush. Sakura crossed her arms.

"That was for spooking us, you idiot." said Sakura. Neo chuckled nervously as he sat up.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to." Neo apologized. Sakura gave a "humph" before sighing and smiling at Neo.

"It's good to see you, too, Neo." said Sakura. "But shouldn't you be in the finalist's box?" Neo chuckled earning confused looks from the pinkette and the platinum blonde.

"Yeah, but my match isn't until after Shikamaru's so I thought I would come up here." said Neo. "Besides, the proctor only said to move to the finalist's box. He didn't say I had to stay there." Sakura then noticed something different about Neo.

"Hey Neo, your hair is longer." said Sakura. Neo gave the pinkette a confused look before he reached up and grabbed a lock of his hair. He gave it a light tug before chuckling. Neo's hair had grown just long enough to where it reached just above his shoulder blades and the bangs covered his eyes, but he kept it combed out of his right eye so he could see.

"I guess it is. I never really noticed." said Neo. "Guess I'll get it cut when the finals are over." Ino then spoke up.

"Well, I think it looks good." said Ino. "Don't you think so, Forehead?" Sakura looked at Ino with wide eyes before a blush appeared on her cheeks.

"W-well, I personally don't really care if Neo's hair is long, or short. He's still the same regardless." said Sakura who had been caught off guard by Ino's question. They then looked at Neo when they heard him laughing.

"Hahahaha! Well, thanks you two, but I think I'll still get it cut. It could get in the way in a fight." said Neo. "Oh, before I forget." As he said this, Neo pulled out a small storage scroll. He then unraveled it and made a single hand seal before placing his right hand on the seal. Smoke billowed out of the scroll before a white rose appeared. Neo grabbed the rose before presenting it to Sakura.

"Here. For you, Sakura." said Neo as he handed Sakura the white rose. The pinkette's cheeks turned rosy red as she took the rose.

"F-for me?" asked Sakura. "Why?" It was Neo's turn to blush as he looked away while rubbing the back of his head nervously.

"W-well, uh, I wanted to get you something...a-and I thought a white rose would be p-perfect." said Neo. "Part of the reason I was late was because I overslept, but the other part was because I was searching all over the village for that. I know I could've gotten it at the Yamanaka flower shop, but I think a gift should have some effort put into it. Like trying to find a white rose instead of buying one."

'_Neo..._' thought Sakura as she felt her heart beating faster. "T-thank you." Neo grinned.

"Sure!" said Neo. They then looked down at the arena as the match started.

-Arena-

"The rules are the same as the preliminaries except participants are now allowed to use deadly force." said the proctor. Neji smirked as he looked toward Naruto who was glaring right at him.

"Anything you want to say?" asked Neji. Naruto then held his fist out at Neji.

"Only the same thing I said before." said Naruto.

-Flashback-

_"Once a failure, always a failure." said Neji as medic ninja came to treat Hinata. Naruto knelt down and touched a puddle of Hinata's blood before standing back up and glaring at Neji. He then held out his fist toward Neji as Hinata's blood dripped off it._

_"I make this vow...right here and now!" said Naruto. "I vow to win!"_

-Flashback end-

"I vow to win!" said Naruto. Neji's smirk faded as the veins around his eyes thickened indicating he had activated the Byakugan.

'_He's calmer than before. He has complete confidence in himself. It's almost as though he believes he can win._' thought Neji as he took his fighting stance.

"All right, let the battle...BEGIN!" said the proctor before he backed away.

-Stands-

Neo, Sakura and Ino were watching the fight.

"C'MON NARUTO! SHOW HIM WHAT YOU'RE MADE OF!" Neo cheered.

"GO NARUTO!" Sakura shouted.

-Arena-

Naruto and Neji remained where they stood as they stared each other down. Neji moved his foot slightly as he inched forward just a bit. Naruto gritted his teeth before he reached into his kunai holster and quickly chucked three kunai at Neji. The Hyuga effortless grabbed one of the kunai and deflected the other two with it. Naruto then ran at Neji. Said Hyuga tossed the kunai aside before side stepping a punch thrown by Naruto. The Nine-Tails' jinchuriki quickly followed it up with a kick, but Neji batted away Naruto's foot.

-Stands-

Sakura stood up as she watched Naruto attack Neji.

"DON'T NARUTO! FRONTAL ATTACKS WON'T WORK ON HIM!" shouted Sakura as she remembered what Kakashi had said about chakra points.

-Flashback-

_"Hitting a chakra point can affect the flow of chakra either by increasing it, or halting it depending on how the attacker strikes." said Kakashi._

-Flashback end-

"HE CAN SEE YOUR CHAKRA POINTS!" shouted Sakura. Neo looked at Sakura in surprise before looking back down at the arena.

-Arena-

Naruto then threw another punch, but Neji side stepped it like the first one before pointing the index and middle fingers of his left hand forward and striking Naruto on his right shoulder.

'_OH NO!_' thought Naruto as he leaned back. He then went tumbling on to his back before rolling on to his feet a few feet away from Neji.

'_Hmm, I missed?_' thought Neji as he took a step back before slipping back into his fighting stance.

'_I almost blew it! If he strikes my chakra points, then there goes my jutsu. I'll have to fight him from a distance!_' thought Naruto. Neji smirked.

"Do you understand now? There is no way you can beat me." said Neji. Naruto got a smirk of his own as he chuckled and stood up.

"Get real! I was just checking you out! That's all!" said Naruto. Neji gave him a questioning look.

"Now that we're all warmed up, let's get started!" said Naruto before he placed his index and middle fingers in a cross shape. "SHADOW CLONE JUTSU!" Instantly, four shadow clones appeared around the real Naruto.

-Stands-

'_That's using your head, Naruto. That oughta confuse him._' thought Sakura as she sat back down. Neo jumped to his feet.

"YEAH! GO NARUTO! SHOW HIM WHOSE BOSS!" Neo cheered. Getting a tick mark on her forehead, Sakura grabbed Neo by his left ear.

"Sit down, Neo!" ordered Sakura.

"OW, OW, OW! OKAY, I'LL SIT!" shouted Neo as he sat down. Sakura then let go of his ear allowing Neo to cover it.

-Arena-

Naruto and his clones all pulled out a kunai as they got ready to attack. Neji smirked.

'_Shadow clones? __I see. He distributed his chakra evenly so even my Byakugan can't pick out the real one._' thought Neji. "No matter. You can't hide for long." All the Narutos smirked.

"HA! WELL, WE'LL JUST SEE ABOUT THAT!" shouted all the Narutos.

"If you're coming, then come on!" said Neji. All the Narutos glared.

-Stands-

Tenten just smiled a knowing smile.

'_It doesn't matter what he does. Neji can win on his defense alone._' thought Tenten.

-Arena-

"Hey! Don't ever, and I mean ever, count me out!" said Naruto and his clones before the four clones rushed at Neji. As the clones got close, Neji flipped over the first two before landing on his feet and blocking the other two by using the momentum of their attack to send them in opposite directions. The real Naruto then ran forward and attempted to kick Neji in the chin, but Neji jumped up a bit. The others watching, however, thought Naruto had landed a blow.

-Stands-

"He got him!" said an excited Sakura as she stood up.

"No, he didn't." said Neo causing Sakura to look at him with surprised eyes. She then noticed he had his Sharingan active.

"What do you mean?" asked Sakura. Neo looked at Sakura as he deactivated his Sharingan.

"Exactly what I said. Naruto didn't hit Neji. Neji used the momentum of Naruto's kick and jumped at the last second. It may seem like Naruto hit Neji, but in truth Neji dodged it." said Neo.

-Meanwhile-

Tenten continued to smile as she watched the match.

'_Just wait._' thought Tenten.

-Arena-

Neji jumped a bit to avoid the kick before backflipping and landing a few feet away from Naruto.

"Not bad, but let's see you do that again!" said Naruto as two of his clones ran toward Neji. They went to either side of him before rushing him.

"Come on!" said the clones. Everything seemed to slow down as Neji jumped in the air and spun around before extending his legs and kicking the two clones that rushed him in the head, dispelling one of them in the process. The other two clones then ran at Neji from behind, but the Hyuga prodigy simply held out his arms and hit the clones' kunai wielding arms. Using the moment of their attack, he sent them flying forward before they hit the ground. As they stood up, Neji rushed forward and rammed both his open palms into the two clones' chests, dispelling both. Everyone gasped as they saw this.

-Stands-

Sakura stared wide eyed at what she saw before plopping back down into her seat.

"Whoa..." said Ino. Neo gritted his teeth as his Sharingan activated.

'_C'mon Naruto! Show everyone the strength you've gotten over the past month! Make him pay for what he did to Hinata!_' thought Neo.

-Arena-

'_This guy...is good._' thought Naruto. '_He must have eyes in the back of his head!_' Neji then took out a kunai and walked over to the clone he had kicked in the head before grabbing the back of it's jumpsuit jacket and lifting it off the ground. He then placed the kunai against the clone's neck before slitting it open, causing it to dispel. He then put the kunai away before looking at Naruto.

"You thought you could be Hokage?" said Neji as he smirked. "It's absurd! Never!" Naruto growled in frustration.

"These eyes of mine show me many things. One thing they show me is that people's limitations are set, fixed and unchangeable! Only a fool wastes his time trying to become something he can never be." said Neji. Naruto's hands trembled with anger.

"A fool, huh?" Naruto growled out. "Not this crap again! Who are you to judge who a person can, and can't be, ya bastard?" Neji chuckled.

"Do you believe anyone can be Hokage? That all it takes is a little hard work?" asked Neji. "Open your eyes. Out of all the shinobi in all the world, think about how few ever become Hokage. They were born...destined to be Hokage. It's not something they became by trying to become it. They were chosen...by destiny." Neji deactivated his Byakugan as he continued.

"Everyone is born into this world with a path to follow. And he, or she, must follow it...obediently...to the end! There is only one destiny we all share equally..." said Neji before his eyes closed and the veins around them bulged out again as he opened them, signaling that he reactivated his Byakugan. "...Death!" Naruto's eyes widened in shock at this. He then gritted his teeth as he glared at Neji.

"Yeah? So what?! You can think that way if you want..." said Naruto as he thrusted his right fist out. "...People always tell me I just don't know when to give up!" With that said, Naruto made the all too familiar hand seal.

"SHADOW CLONE JUTSU!" shouted Naruto as dozens of Naruto clones appeared. Neji slipped back into his fighting stance.

-Next Chapter: Ultimate Defense! Zero Blind Spots!-

* * *

><p>UltimaShishigawa: That's it for this chapter! I swear it's getting harder and harder to make new chapters, but I'll remain strong until the end! Read, review, comment, but don't flame! Peace out, and have a Merry Christmas!<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

UltimaShishigawa: Hey everyone! I hope you all enjoyed the last chapter. And to all NaruSaku fans, I feel your pain. I, as a fellow NaruSaku fan, was also upset with the fact that Naruto and Sakura didn't get together, but that doesn't mean you get to threaten Kishimoto's life just because of that. You also can't start a petition to have the manga banned in the USA! Why would you make other people suffer by having the manga banned? That's unfair to everyone else who reads it. If you can't handle the fact that the ending turned out like it did, then don't read the manga. Simple as that. Anyway, here is the next chapter!

Disclaimer: UltimaShishigawa doesn't own Naruto, or it's characters. They belong to Masashi Kishimoto. He would also like to apologize to Kishimoto for how some of his fans acted toward the manga's end. Thank you for creating Naruto, Kishimoto!

* * *

><p>Chapter 15: Ultimate Defense! Zero Blind Spots!<p>

-Arena-

"People always tell me I don't know when to give up!" said Naruto before he performed the all too familiar hand seal. "SHADOW CLONE JUTSU!" Instantly, several shadow clones appeared. Neji smirked as he slipped back into his battle stance.

"RRRRRRAAAAAAAAGGGGHHHHH!" shouted all the Narutos as they rushed at Neji. As the clones reached Neji, one of them threw a punch, but Neji blocked the strike and sent the clone flying in another direction. He then blocked another punch before counterattacking by dealing several blows to the clone.

"Hey!" shouted another clone before he and a few others rushed at him. Neji stopped and saw as the clone that yelled at him dove toward him, but he jumped over it to avoid the clone. Two others dove at him as well, but Neji moved to his right to avoid one and jumped to avoid the other before kicking him in the stomach and sending the clone flying back. He then ducked another clone's punch before kicking him back and grabbing it's arm. He then tossed the clone into two others, jumped over one clone's sweeping kick, and punched another clone in the gut.

"Man, this is ridiculous!" said a clone. "We can't even get close to this bastard!" Neji chuckled.

"Do you really think you can fool me?" asked Neji before he ran through the army of clones. He smirked as he ran towards, what he assumed to be, the real Naruto who had been staying in the back.

'_This pathetic weakling can conjure up all the clones he wants._' thought Neji. '_He can't fool me!_' Once Neji got close, he rammed his right hand's fingers into the left side of Naruto's chest causing the Nine-Tails' jinchuriki to go wide eyed. Everyone gasped as they saw this.

-Stands-

Hinata, who had arrived just as the match started, covered her mouth as she gasped.

"Naruto..." said a worried Hinata.

"Damn..." muttered Kiba.

-Arena-

"You're the one keeping out of range for fear of me striking your chakra points, like this." said Neji. "The more the others attack, the more you stand out for holding back." Naruto coughed up blood as his other clones disappeared. Neji looked at him with a triumphant expression.

"You're the real one, aren't you?" Neji asked. He then removed his fingers from Naruto's chest allowing the blonde to hunch over.

"I told you it was pointless." said Neji. Naruto then started chuckling before looking at Neji with a smirk of his own and a little blood running down the right side of his mouth.

"Oh yeah?" asked Naruto. "And I told you not to count me out!" As soon as he got the words out of his mouth, Naruto disappeared in a cloud of smoke leaving behind a shocked Neji Hyuga.

'_A SHADOW CLONE?!_' thought Neji before he looked back to see Naruto and a clone running at him with their fists cocked back.

-Stands-

"ALL RIGHT! GET HIM, NARUTO!" shouted Sakura and Ino. Neo, however, noticed something with his Sharingan.

'_Neji's chakra is..._' thought Neo.

-Arena-

'_This loser held one of his shadow clones back to deceive me! To lure me into a trap!_' thought Neji.

"YOU THINK I'M TOO MUCH OF A SPINELESS BASTARD TO ATTACK YOU MYSELF?! WELL, THINK AGAIN!" shouted Naruto as he and his clone got close. The two then swung at Neji's face, but blue chakra began swirling around Neji before the Hyuga prodigy began spinning in place causing the chakra to rotate so fast that it appeared as though a dome of blue chakra appeared around him, blowing Naruto and his clone back. The clone popped while the real Naruto landed on his back. He then sat up and looked toward where Neji stood to find that he had stopped spinning and that the blue chakra dome had left a crater where Neji stood.

"W-what the hell was that?" asked Naruto. Neji looked toward Naruto.

"Did you really think you'd won?" asked Neji.

-Stands-

Sakura, Ino and Neo were all wide eyed at what they just witnessed.

"What just happened? That punch of Naruto's should've flattened him." said Sakura.

'_That Neji guy...is no amateur. If he is this strong, then that means..._' thought Neo as an image of Nova Hyuga flashed through his mind.

-Arena-

Naruto growled before he stood up and made the hand seal for the shadow clone jutsu.

"We'll see about that!" said Naruto before six shadow clones appeared. They then moved to surround Neji. Naruto and his clones then attempted to rush Neji, but the Hyuga prodigy quickly countered by firing off his ultimate defense, the 8 trigrams palm rotation, again. Naruto and his clones were blown back causing the clones to pop and the real Naruto to hit the ground.

-Stands-

Neo quickly stood up causing Sakura and Ino to look at him.

"THAT'S IT!" shouted Neo.

"What's it, Neo?" asked Ino. Neo looked at the two genin kunoichi.

"Neji is expelling chakra from all his chakra points." said Neo.

"How?" asked Sakura. Neo sat down before continuing.

"Old man Neosha, the guy I trained with for the past month, told me that the Hyuga clan could expel chakra from all their chakra points. He didn't explain how they were able to, but he said that their mastery of the Gentle Fist style taijutsu, coupled with being able to expel chakra from all their chakra points, made them formidable adversaries. Even to the Uchiha." said Neo. "I wanted to learn how to do that, but he told me that it was a Hyuga clan only technique. I still tried to anyway, but all I could really do was bust a rock with my bare hands."

Sakura and Ino's eyes widened before all three looked back down at the arena. However, they failed to notice the Hyuga clan head, Hiashi Hyuga, and his youngest daughter, Hanabi Hyuga, were seated right behind them. Hiashi looked at Neo with a small glare.

'_An Uchiha...managed to break a rock by expelling chakra from his hands?_' thought Hiashi. '_I'll deal with him later._'

-Arena-

"This is the end for you." said Neji while Naruto stood up and wiped the blood off his mouth. Neji then slipped into his Gentle Fist stance.

"You're in range and you can't escape my eight trigrams." said Neji as he glared at Naruto. The Nine-Tails' jinchuriki gave Neji a confused look.

"GENTLE FIST ART: EIGHT TRIGRAMS SIXTY-FOUR PALMS!" said Neji. He then rushed at Naruto with incredible speed.

"TWO PALMS!" shouted Neji as he struck Naruto twice before continuing. "FOUR PALMS! EIGHT PALMS! SIXTEEN PALMS! THIRTY-TWO PALMS!" As Neji struck Naruto, he called out the amount of blows he dealt. He then struck Naruto one last time sending him flying back.

"SIXTY-FOUR PALMS!" shouted Neji as he finished. Naruto landed on his back with blood pouring from his mouth. The proctor approached the two and looked between them.

"Looks like it's over." said the proctor.

-Stands-

Neo, Sakura and Ino stared wide eyed at what happened.

-Arena-

Naruto stood up before falling face first into the dirt.

"I have now struck all sixty-four of your chakra points." said Neji as he glared down at the beaten and bloodied Naruto. "You're lucky to still be breathing." Naruto tried to push himself up, but his arms gave out from underneath him causing him to hit the ground again.

"C'mon..." strained Naruto.

"Well, must be frustrating, isn't it?" said Neji. "To realize how utterly hopeless it was. This little dream of becoming the Hokage. You thought you could succeed through hard work alone, but that's only an illusion."

-Stands-

Ino slapped her forehead.

"Aw, what a fool! And I almost believed he could beat him!" Ino exclaimed.

"Naruto..." Sakura said sadly. Neo gritted his teeth as his Sharingan deactivated before standing up and planting his right foot on the rail.

"NARUTO!" Neo shouted (with the anime white angry eyes and sharp teeth). "GET YOUR ASS UP! IF YOU GIVE UP NOW, THEN I'LL COME DOWN THERE AND KICK YOUR ASS MYSELF!"

"Sit down, Uchiha." said a voice causing Neo to look back and see Hiashi and Hanabi Hyuga seated directly behind him, Sakura and Ino. Neo (normal) glared at the Hyuga clan head.

"And who the hell are you?" asked Neo. Hiashi glared at the young Uchiha.

"Watch your mouth when you speak to me, boy. I am Hiashi Hyuga, the current head of the Hyuga clan." said Hiashi. Neo just continued to glare.

"I don't care if you are the head of the Hyuga clan. I'll speak however I wanna speak." said Neo. "And I'm gonna support my friend whose down there fighting!"

"And what can you do from up here?" asked Hiashi. Neo smirked.

"I can be with my friend in spirit." said Neo. It was Hiashi's turn to smirk.

"And since when did a thing like you get any friends." said Hiashi. Neo's eyes widened at being referred to as a "thing." Sakura and Ino looked at the Hyuga clan head with surprise more than evident in their eyes at hearing their friend being called a "thing." Neo then glared at Hiashi.

"When I stopped allowing myself to be pushed around by stuck up bastards like you." said Neo. Hiashi growled in irritation. Hanabi looked at Neo with wide eyes. She couldn't believe someone had the courage to call her father a stuck up bastard.

"You will speak to me with respect, you Uchiha brat!" said Hiashi.

'_Those eyes..._' thought Neo as he looked into Hiashi's lavender pupiless eyes. '_He sees me like everyone else does._' Neo then chuckled as he turned away.

"Well, I only speak to people with respect if I respect them. And I don't respect you." said Neo. Hiashi's anger rose before he stood up along with Hanabi.

"Come Hanabi, we'll find somewhere else to sit." said Hiashi as he took his youngest daughter's hand and led her away. As they walked away, Hanabi looked back at Neo as he sat down.

'_Neo Uchiha..._' thought Hanabi. Once they were gone, Sakura and Ino looked at Neo.

"Neo, what did he mean when he called you a "thing?"" asked Sakura.

"He probably just sees me as nothing more than a...troublemaker." Neo lied. He knew what Hiashi meant when he called Neo a "thing."

-Arena-

After hearing Neo's outburst, Naruto tried to stand again, but fell once more. Naruto then looked toward Neji from where he lay on the ground. He found that his vision began to deteriorate before he remembered Lee and Hinata's fights and how they never gave up.

"N-no...w-way!" strained Naruto as he forced himself to stand up surprising everyone in the stands. Neji looked at him with mild surprise.

-Stands-

Sakura and Ino breathed a sigh of relief while Neo got a big grin on his face.

"That's the Naruto we know!" said Neo.

-Arena-

"Impossible! How are you standing?" said Neji. Naruto chuckled.

"I told ya, didn't I? I just don't know when to give up." said Naruto.

'_It can't be! Did that outburst from the stands force him to stand back up?_' thought Neji. "Stop this madness, or you'll only get more of the same! I have nothing against you personally." Naruto scoffed.

"That's touching. You're gonna make me cry!" Naruto responded sarcastically. "Anyway, I've got plenty against you!" Neji gave Naruto a questioning look.

"I don't know what you mean." said Neji. Naruto glared at Neji. He couldn't believe Neji didn't remember what he did.

"You don't? And here I thought you were mister know-it-all!" said Naruto. "You don't remember what you did to Hinata, huh? The way you worked on her with your mind games. Tearing her down when she worked so hard to get here!" It was Neji's turn to glare. He couldn't believe this loser was trying to worm his way into clan affairs.

"Nevermind that! It doesn't concern you." said Neji. Naruto's fists trembled with anger.

"IT DOES CONCERN ME BECAUSE SHE'S MY FRIEND!" shouted Naruto before reigning in his anger to speak normally...but barely. "You mocked Hinata! Calling her a failure! All that stuff about the main household and branch families! WHAT A BUNCH OF BULLSHIT! It doesn't give you the right to judge someone as a failure! That's what I've got against you!" Neji seethed with anger before he smirked.

"Very well, I'll tell you all about it." said Neji before he began his tale.

"THE HYUGA CLAN'S HERITAGE OF HATRED! For generations, the main household of our clan has practiced a secret ninjutsu..." said Neji. "Known as the Curse Mark jutsu." Naruto's eyes widened when he heard this.

"Curse Mark...jutsu?" asked Naruto as an image of Neo with the black flame-like tattoos of the Curse Mark covering the left half of his face flashed before his eyes.

-Stands-

"Curse Mark jutsu? What's that?" asked Ino. Sakura looked toward Neo to see his eyes were wide and he was instinctively gripping his left shoulder before her eyes watered slightly.

'_Neo..._' thought a saddened Sakura.

-Arena-

Neji closed his eyes before continuing.

"The Curse Mark is a symbol of a bird locked in a cage. It's the mark of someone who is bound to a destiny they cannot escape." said Neji as he opened his eyes. He then reached up and removed his headband. Naruto's eyes widened further at what he saw. On Neji's forehead was a green X with two green lines on either side of it.

"I-is that...the Curse Mark?" asked Naruto. Neji nodded his head.

"I was four years-old when the leaders of my clan branded this symbol on my forehead. On that same day, a great celebration took place in the village. After many years of war, the village had finally made a peace agreement with the Land of Lightning and they had sent their head cloud ninja to sign the treaty and join in the celebration."

"Everyone was there to welcome our old enemies. Every genin and jonin in the Leaf Village. Only one clan was absent. The Hyuga clan because it was on this day that the heir to the main household was to turn three. It was Lady Hinata's third birthday." said Neji as a still wide eyed Naruto continued to stare. Neji then turned toward the stands and looked up to find his uncle, Hiashi, and his second cousin, Hanabi (both of whom had changed seats) staring down at him.

"Her father, Lord Hiashi Hyuga, is sitting up there. He and my father, Hizashi, are twin brothers. And yet, HE entered into the world first so HE is the head of the family. The first born! While my father, his brother, is banished to a lesser branch of the family!"

"It was on that day, that the heir to the main household was to turn three, that my bastard of an uncle took me and branded me with the Curse Mark. Turning me into a bird trapped in a cage!" Naruto then spoke up.

"Your clan...what's the point of it all?" asked Naruto. "Why have a main family and a branch family? And this weird Curse Mark...what's it mean anyway?" Neji growled.

"I can assure you of one thing. It isn't for decoration! You see, this is more than a mark we wear. It is also the instrument by which they keep us in our place. We live in fear that they will use this mark to turn our brains to mush anytime they wish. Fear, that is what we live with and we live with it everyday! Only in death are we finally free of it."

"This is how the secret of the Byakugan is kept sealed away. Only the Hyuga possess the secret of this Kekkai Genkai and of course there would be many who would steal it from us. That is why we exist. It is the purpose of the branch family to defend that secret and to serve the keepers of that secret, the main household, and to follow orders obediently and without question...for eternity."

"Now do you see? That is our destiny...or was...until that dreadful night. They went too far..." said Neji before looking at Naruto. "When they murdered my father!" Naruto was shocked beyond belief. Who in their right mind would murder their own brother, their nephew's father?

"One night, someone entered the main family household and abducted Lady Hinata." said Neji as he continued his tale. "Lord Hiashi quickly caught and killed the man. And who was this intruder, sneaking through the shadows in the dead of night, wearing a mask over his face? It was none other than the head cloud ninja of the Land of Lightning! The man who had just signed an alliance with us!"

"It was obvious to everyone that he was after the secret of the Byakugan, but the Land of Lightning professed shock at this willful murder of their ninja. They claimed that the Hidden Leaf Village was in violation of the treaty and demanded payback. Things got worse and worse until it looked like war would break out anew. The Leaf Village wanted, above all things, to avert another war so at last they made a deal." said Neji. Naruto gave Neji a confused look.

"A deal?" asked Naruto. Neji nodded his head.

"A life for a life. The Land of Lightning wanted the life of the man who had slain their ninja. If there were to be peace, then Lord Hiashi must die! The Leaf Village accepted their terms." said Neji. The hand holding his headband began to tremble as he continued.

"And so, to avert a war, a man was killed, but not Hiashi. My father, his twin brother, was killed in his place...TO PROTECT THAT PATHETIC MAIN HOUSEHOLD! Only in death was my father finally free of this evil Curse Mark! They were so much alike, twin brothers, but their destinies had been determined when one was born a few seconds after the other."

"And this match is the same." said Neji. "Your destiny was decided...the moment I was chosen as your opponent!"

-Next Chapter: A Failure's True Power!-

* * *

><p>UltimaShishigawa: Well, that's it for this chapter. I apologize for it being shorter than the others, but I wanted it to be more about Neji's speech to Naruto. You wouldn't believe how many times I had to watch this fight in the anime and read it in the manga to remember it. Anyway, read, review, comment, but don't flame! Peace out, and have a Merry Christmas!<p> 


	4. Chapter 4

UltimaShishigawa: Hey everyone! I heard that it was confirmed that there would be a third Naruto anime starring Naruto and Sasuke's children. I hope it's good, especially if it's only gonna last until the end of summer this year. Anyway, here is the next chapter!

Disclaimer: UltimaShishigawa doesn't own Naruto, or it's characters. All rights belong to Masashi Kishimoto.

* * *

><p>Chapter 16: A Failure's True Power!<p>

The battle was waging on between Naruto Uzumaki and Neji Hyuga. After having his chakra points sealed by Neji's 8 trigrams 64 palms, Naruto listened as Neji told him about the Hyuga clans heritage, the branch and main families and the Caged Bird Seal.

"It's your destiny to lose to me." said Neji with a smirk. Naruto glared.

"Oh yeah? Well, we won't know that until you beat me, will we?" asked Naruto as he tried to catch his breath. Neji just glared as he put his headband back on.

"Okay, so your father was killed a long time ago and I know it wasn't fair, but that's got nothing to do with destiny! If you think I'm buying that crap, then you're wrong!" said Naruto.

"You will NEVER understand!" said Neji. He then dashed at Naruto with full speed. Naruto's eyes widened.

'_Crap, I can't move!_' thought Naruto. When Neji reached him time seemed to slow down as he slammed his open left palm against Naruto's chest. Naruto coughed up blood as he was sent flying back before hitting the ground.

"Proctor..." said Neji gaining the proctor's attention. "...it's over!" Neji watched the unmoving Naruto.

"Hmph, you're a failure." said Neji. He then turned and started walking away.

"W-wait!" said a voice causing Neji to stop. "Don't you walk away...from me!" Neji turned back around to see Naruto standing once more.

"I'm not done, yet! And I don't quit! And I sure as hell don't go back on my word!" said Naruto as he tried to catch his breath while holding his left side. "That's my nindo! MY NINJA WAY!" Neji stared on with his usual glare before he remembered what Hinata said.

-Flashback-

_Hinata was gasping while struggling to stand up. Blood dripped on to the ground._

_"I n-never go b-back on my w-word because that too is my ninja w-way." said Hinata as she looked to Neji with a determined look in her eyes._

-Flashback end-

Neji continued to stare at Naruto before smirking.

"Heh, I've heard those words before." said Neji. Naruto growled in irritation as his knees shook slightly.

"Grr, if you believe in that destiny crap, then why are you the one walking away?" asked Naruto.

-Stands-

Neo, Sakura and Ino were watching the match. Ino and Sakura were staring with surprised looks while Neo had a confident grin on his face.

"Ain't nothing gonna keep Naruto down!" said Neo.

'_Naruto..._' thought Sakura.

-Meanwhile-

Hiashi and Hanabi were watching the match.

-Arena-

Neji's smirk fell as his glare intensified.

"You impudent bastard! Why waste my breath explaining it to you? We are all given a destiny at birth and it's pointless to resist it!" said Neji as he remembered something his father had said.

-Flashback-

_Hizashi and Neji were standing outside when Hizashi knelt down in front of Neji and placed a hand on his son's head._

_"Neji, the Hyuga bloodline flows stronger in you than in any other member of our clan. If only I had been born a few seconds earlier, then I could've made you a member of the main family." said Hizashi as he gave his son a sad smile._

-Flashback end-

"You don't know what it's like to branded with a mark that sets you apart from everyone else! A MARK THAT CAN NEVER BE WIPED AWAY!" Neji shouted the last part as he pointed at Naruto. The young jinchuriki remained quiet as he remembered how he was shunned for what he contained. In truth, he could relate to Neji better than anyone.

"Oh yeah, I know what that's like." said Naruto earning a questioning look from Neji. Naruto smirked.

"Well, big deal! Who cares?" said Naruto causing the veins on the sides of Neji's eyes to throb slightly.

"You worthless little..." Neji growled out.

"Man, you think you've got troubles? I've got news for you, Neji. You're not the only one who is special here! Don't you think Hinata is suffering just as much as you? It's not her fault that her father was born a few seconds ahead of your's, but you still resented her! You disrespect her even when she is trying so hard to improve herself! All she wanted was your respect even though it almost killed her! And what was that all about anyway?" said Naruto. "I thought it was your destiny to serve the main household! Not beat it to a bloody pulp! After all you said about how you couldn't fight your destiny, you don't believe it yourself, do you?"

Neji growled in anger as he listened to Naruto. The young jinchuriki, however, coughed up blood before wiping some off of the corner of his mouth. Neji then smirked.

"I have blocked all sixty-four of your chakra points. How do you plan on continuing to fight if you can't even use your chakra anymore?" said Neji. "It's fitting that you would sympathize with Hinata because you're about to share her fate!" Naruto's glare at Neji intensified.

"Oh really? You think your Byakugan can see everything? That you know everyone's weakness, right?" asked Naruto.

"That's right, but if you think you can prove me wrong, then be my guest!" said Neji as his left eye twitched slightly.

"You got it! I'm gonna teach you a lot of things starting right now!" said Naruto as he got into a fighting stance. '_Yeah, easier said than done! It feels like I've got no chakra left! I ain't felt so totally drained since my training with the Pervy Sage._' However, his eyes widened as he remembered something Jiraiya told him.

-Flashback-

"_Haven't you ever felt the presence of another chakra? You have two types of chakra, but you must use up one before you can access the other. Thus increasing the total amount of chakra you can use." said Jiraiya._

-Flashback end-

'_That's it! I can use the Nine-Tailed Fox's chakra!_' thought Naruto as he closed his eyes. '_Okay furball, if you're there, then give me your strength!_'

-Naruto's mindscape-

Naruto's mindscape took the appearance of a sewer with ankle high water. At the end was a large cell door with a paper tag that had the kanji for "seal" on it. A large eye with a red iris and a slit pupil opened before it's owner moved closer to the door reveal a large fox with nine tails and orange fur. The Nine-Tailed Fox chuckled darkly.

"**Very well, I'll loan you some of my chakra!**" said the Nine-Tails as red chakra began leaking from the cell.

-Reality-

Neji just closed his eyes and shook his head.

"Proctor, this match has gone on long enough. I suggest you end the match. If he is foolish enough to continue, then I will not be held responsible for what happens to him." said Neji as he looked at the proctor.

"Fine." said the proctor. Neji then looked at Naruto to see him making a hand seal.

"It's pointless. I already told you that." said Neji.

'_I can do this. I can win!_' thought Naruto as he remembered his vow.

-Flashback-

_Naruto held his right fist out as Hinata's blood dripped off of it._

_"I vow to win!" said Naruto._

-Flashback end-

Neji shook his head.

"Why bother? You have no chakra left to use!" said Neji.

'_I can do it!_' thought Naruto.

"Why fight a battle that you cannot win?" asked Neji. Naruto then looked at Neji.

"Because people always called me a failure. I'm gonna prove 'em wrong." said Naruto as flickers of red chakra began seeping out of him. Seeing this, Neji's smirk fell as the Hyuga prodigy focused his Byakugan on the genin before him. The wind began to pick up as red chakra began swirling around Naruto.

'_It can't be! Where is this chakra coming from?!_' thought Neji as he saw Naruto's chakra system become flooded with red chakra. '_IT'S NOT POSSIBLE!_' Naruto closed his eyes as his whisker marks became darker and more pronounced, his hair became more unruly, his nails grew to resemble claws and his k-9's grew to resemble fangs.

-Stands-

Everyone was in awe at what they were seeing.

'_Impossible! That's..._' thought Hiashi.

-Meanwhile-

"What's that chakra coming from Naruto?" asked Ino.

"I don't know." said Sakura.

'_So Jiraiya-sensei taught Naruto how to control the Nine-Tailed Fox's chakra just like old man Neosha taught me to control the Ten-Tailed Wolf's chakra. This'll be interesting._' thought Neo.

-Arena-

The red chakra swirling around Naruto took the form of nine large tails before Naruto's eyes snapped open to reveal that they were red with slitted pupils.

"**Here goes.**" said Naruto (Nine-Tails chakra) as the chakra tails whipped about. Neji crossed his arms in front of him to keep himself from being blown away.

'_Incredible! Twisting energy!_' thought Neji. '_What kinda chakra is that? Or is it even chakra at all?!_' Naruto looked at his clawed hands in amazement.

'_**Whoa, this is more powerful than what I felt during the summoning training.**_' thought Naruto before he looked at Neji and clenched his fist. '_**I like it.**_' He then disappeared. Neji looked around for Naruto before his eyes widened. He then turned around as Naruto appeared in the air before tossing three shuriken at Neji.

"ROTATION!" Neji shouted as he spun in place and a dome of blue chakra swirled around him. The shuriken struck the dome before Neji stopped, causing the dome to dissipate, and caught the shuriken. Naruto landed on the wall before jumping at Neji, leaving a crater on the wall where he had been standing.

"TAKE THIS!" shouted Neji as he hurled the shuriken back at Naruto, but just as they were about to hit their mark, the young jinchuriki vanished. "What?!"

'_He's faster than before! What the hell is going on here?!_' thought Neji. He then moved to the left as Naruto appeared in front of him to dodge a punch thrown by the Uzumaki. Neji quickly took out a kunai. Seeing this, Naruto did the same. The two then jumped back as they threw their kunai at each other. The kunai hit each other and fell to the ground. When Naruto and Neji landed on their feet they dashed at each other with new kunai they had drawn from their kunai pouches before clashing as they ran past each other. They then skidded to a stop before turning to face each other.

"**Okay you, I hear you like close combat, huh?**" said Naruto causing Neji's eyes to widen for a split second. Naruto then dashed at Neji with full speed causing the ground to tear apart behind him.

"**IT MAYBE THE HYUGA CLAN WAY TO CAVE INTO DESTINY, BUT IT AIN'T MINE!**" yelled Naruto causing Neji to lift his kunai up defensively. "**IF YOU THINK IT'S FUTILE TO FIGHT, THEN JUST STAND THERE AND TAKE IT...!**" Neji eyes widened in shock.

'_Quickly, I must use my rotation!_' thought Neji as blue chakra began seeping out of his body.

"**I'LL CHANGE THE WAY OF THE HYUGA CLAN!**" yelled Naruto as he got close and swung the kunai at Neji. The Hyuga prodigy began to spin in place as he fired the 8 trigrams rotation before stopping and slamming his kunai against Naruto's.

"**AFTER I BECOME HOKAGE!**" yelled Naruto before the clash of their chakra's exploded. The resulting explosion shook the entire arena. Everyone in the stands stared wide eyed at what happened. However, they missed two figures leap out of the cloud of smoke that was left behind.

'_Man, that's some chakra the kid's got. Never seen anything like it. No way that Hyuga kid could've..._' thought the proctor as he looked at the two craters in the ground.

-Stands-

Sakura, Ino and Neo were desperately trying to see which crater was Naruto's.

"Neo, can you see which one Naruto is in?" asked Sakura. Neo activated his Sharingan and looked, but shook his head.

"Afraid not. My Sharingan can only see chakra when it's being used. It's not like the Byakugan." said Neo. "What about you, Ino?" The Yamanaka shook her head.

"Don't ask me! I don't even know what happened just now!" said Ino.

-Arena-

The proctor watched the two craters before a hand suddenly burst out of one followed by a battered, bruised and bloodied body that belonged to one Neji Hyuga. The Hyuga stood up before coughing and wiping the blood off his mouth. He then looked at the other crater to see Naruto (normal) laying in it unconscious. The proctor looked at the unconscious jinchuriki.

-Stands-

Neo, Sakura and Ino stared on in disbelief as Neo's Sharingan deactivated.

"No way..." said Neo.

-Arena-

"Sorry, but this is reality. You're a failure. This match is ov-." said Neji before he was interrupted by the sound of the ground cracking underneath him. He quickly looked down only to see Naruto bust out from underground with his left fist coming straight at him. Naruto uppercutted Neji in the chin lifting the Hyuga prodigy off his feet and causing him to cough up blood before he was sent flying back a few feet. Neji then landed on his back. Naruto breathed deeply as he tried to catch his breath, his right hand bleeding. Neji tried to get up, but found he couldn't.

"I...can't move!" said Neji. The Naruto laying in the crater then disappeared in a cloud of smoke revealing a hole it had been laying on top of. The proctor looked toward the hole and realized what happened.

'_He used his clone as bait and waited for his chance to get close to Neji. Even when he was getting pounded into the ground he never stopped planning his next move. He never lost faith in his ability to win. Naruto knows instinctively that believing in yourself can change your destiny. And on top of that, he's got one hell of a left hook._' thought the proctor. Naruto walked over to the downed Neji.

"I should've guessed you would use that damned shadow clone jutsu. It's your specialty, after all. I was too careless." said Neji as his Byakugan deactivated.

"For the record...I failed the graduation exam three times...'cuz there was this one jutsu on the exam that had tripped me up everytime. It was the one jutsu I just couldn't master. That damn clone jutsu. My clones were pathetic. That's right, I flunked the clone jutsu everytime." said Naruto. "So don't come whining to me about this destiny stuff...and stop trying to tell me that you can't change who you are." A bird that was seated in a tree then took off to the sky.

"You can do it, too, because unlike me, you aren't a failure." said Naruto. Neji looked at Naruto with wide eyes before looking up and watching a bird flying high into the sky. The proctor then smiled.

"The winner is Naruto Uzumaki!" declared the proctor. Everyone in the stands began to cheer.

-Stands-

"HE DID IT!" shouted Sakura and Neo in unison as they jumped up and hugged each other. However, when they noticed their close proximity, they quickly let go of each other and blushed. Neo then noticed the bird as it flew away.

-Next Chapter: Hit It, or Quit It! The Final Rounds Get Complicated-

* * *

><p>UltimaShishigawa: Okay, that's it for chapter 4! Hope ya'll enjoyed and I'll have the next chapter up soon. Have a Happy New Year! Peace, I'm out!<p> 


	5. Chapter 5

UltimaShishigawa: Hey everyone! Hope ya enjoyed the story so far and I hope you'll continue to read it! Here is chapter 5 of vol.3 and chapter 17 of the entire story. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: UltimaShishigawa doesn't own Naruto, or it's characters. They belong to Masashi Kishimoto.

* * *

><p>Chapter 17: Hit It, or Quit It! The Finals Get Complicated! Part 1<p>

He'd done it! Naruto Uzumaki, the dead last of the Ninja Academy, had managed to beat Neji Hyuga, the Hyuga clan prodigy! The crowd was cheering and clapping for the blonde jinchuriki! Sakura smiled before...

"YOU DID IT!" screamed Sakura as she, Neo and Ino stood from their seats cheering.

-Arena-

Naruto was catching his breath before looking up at the cheering crowd and grinning sheepishly.

"YEAH!" shouted Naruto as he made the peace sign before running around waving and blowing kisses to the crowd.

'_Amazing. That kid still has the energy to run around. He has got some stamina._' thought the proctor.

-Stands-

Sakura smiled down at the blonde.

'_Naruto just keeps getting stronger and stronger._' thought Sakura. She then looked back as she overheard two girls talking.

"That kid sure is strong. He's pretty amazing." said girl #1. The second girl nodded her head.

"He's kinda cute, too." said girl #2. Sakura sighed as she looked back down at Naruto.

'_I hate to admit it, Naruto, but I envy you. Watching your battle has made me realize I need to work harder, too. Especially if I wanna catch up to you, Neo and Sasuke. I'll never get anywhere at this rate._' thought Sakura as she let out another sigh. Neo noticed her depressed look.

"What's up, Sakura? I thought you'd be happy that Naruto won." said Neo. The pinkette looked at her Uchiha teammate.

"I am. It's just..." Sakura trailed off. Neo gave her a confused look before it changed to a look of recognition and then a sad look.

"Still worried Sasuke won't make it?" asked Neo causing Sakura to look at him in surprise. He then gave her a big grin.

"Don't worry! That bastard'll make it! Even he wouldn't miss this!" said Neo. Sakura, however, could tell that the grin was forced.

"Neo, that's not it. I..." said Sakura.

"HEY!" shouted a voice, interrupting Sakura, and causing the trio to look to their right to see a Leaf jonin. "Neo Uchiha, you are suppose to be in the finalist box! Get your ass back there now!" Neo squinted his eyes in annoyance.

"Why do I have to be in the finalist box? I'm perfectly content right here and I can just jump down there when it's my turn!" said Neo as he crossed his arms.

"Would you rather be disqualified?" asked the jonin. Neo's eyes widened in surprise before he sighed.

"Fine..." said Neo as he hung his head in defeat. He then stood up before looking at Sakura and Ino.

"Hey Sakura, I was wondering about something." said Neo. Sakura gave him a questioning look.

"About what?" asked Sakura. Neo blushed slightly as he scratched the back of his head.

"Do you remember the day we met?" asked Neo. Sakura thought back to the day they met trying to figure out why he was asking about it.

"You mean when we were starting in the ninja academy?" asked Sakura. "Yeah, I remember. Why do you ask?" Neo's blush disappeared as he gave her a sad smile.

'_I guess she doesn't._' thought Neo as he shook his head. "Nevermind. It's not important." He then grinned.

"Anyway, I'll see you two lovely ladies later! See ya!" said Neo as he disappeared along with the jonin, leaving behind a pair of surprised and blushing kunoichi.

-Finalist box-

"He beat Neji? Oh man, I can't believe it!" said a surprised and shocked Shikamaru Nara. "And I thought Naruto was the same as me. One of the dorky, uncool guys." Shino looked at Shikamaru, but if he was surprised at Shikamaru's statement, he didn't show it.

"Dorky and uncool?" asked Shino as Shikamaru continued.

"And now everyone is saying that he is gonna make something big of himself. Just great, I doubt I could beat him now. This really bad. I've never felt so depressed. What a drag." said Shikamaru as he hung his head.

-Meanwhile in the stands-

Kurenai Yuhi and Asuma Sarutobi were in awe at what they saw.

"He drew upon the fox's chakra all by himself? Incredible." said Kurenai. Asuma nodded his head in agreement.

"Yeah, even the people of the Hidden Leaf Village were surprised." said Asuma.

-Hokage box-

'_Remarkable! When did he learn to control the Nine-Tailed Fox's chakra to such a degree like that?_' thought the Third Hokage.

-Arena-

While Naruto was still showing his appreciation to the crowd for their support, the proctor looked at the immobile Neji.

"Ya know, even a caged bird is smart enough and will be able to figure out how to open the door to it's cage with it's beak." said the proctor as medical ninja hoisted Neji on to a mobile bed (AN: I know the name, but I can't remember how to spell it. Sorry.) "The dream of flying high and breaking free...is too great to resist." Neji sighed as he looked up at a bird flying overhead.

"But this time you lost." said the proctor as the medic ninja rolled Neji away.

-Stands-

Hiashi Hyuga watched on in stunned silence. Hanabi looked at her father with worry.

"Father..." said Hanabi.

-Later-

Neji was seated on a bed in the infirmary as he recalled what Naruto and he said to each other.

-Flashback-

_"I got news for you, Neji. You're not the only one who is special around here!" said Naruto. Neji just glared at Naruto._

_"Why fight a hopeless battle trying to defy your destiny?" asked Neji. Naruto growled in irritation._

_"Because you called me a loser and I'm gonna show you I'm not!" said Naruto._

_"They were born...destined to be Hokage." said Neji._

_"You can think that way if you want!" said Naruto as he pointed his right fist at Neji._

-Flashback end-

Neji continued to remember their exchange until he was snapped from his thoughts by the sound of the door opening. He looked toward the door and went wide eyed as he saw his uncle enter.

"Lord Hiashi?!" said Neji as he glared at the Hyuga clan head. "What do you want with me?"

"You know that day." said Hiashi as he gave his nephew a sad look. "Well, I've come to tell you the truth about what happened." Neji gave him a surprised look before his glare returned.

"What do you mean?" asked Neji as he recalled running to his parents room only to find his mother weeping over the body of her husband which was covered by the sheets of the bed and a cloth over his face.

"That day...I was fully prepared to die." said Hiashi as he looked at the ground causing Neji to growl as his glare intensified.

"What?! What are you talking about?! That day, my father was forced to pose as you and was murdered for the sake of the family!" said Neji. Hiashi reached into his kimono before pulling out a scroll and walking over to Neji.

"The truth about that day. The truth you seek is in this scroll." said Hiashi as he presented the scroll to Neji.

"Of course! It's only excuses made for the head family!" said Neji as he looked away. Hiashi then placed the scroll down on the bed beside Neji.

"The current you...should be able to understand now." said Hiashi. Neji's glare didn't lessen in the slightest, even as he looked at the scroll lying beside him. However, his eyes widened as he saw the inscription on the scroll.

"That writing!" said Neji as he picked up the scroll and unraveled it.

_Neji,_

_I'm afraid I only have a little time left...and I'm gonna use that time to tell you something. The Hidden Cloud ninja tried to abduct Lady Hinata, but Lord Hiashi killed the would be kidnapper._

_However, the Hidden Cloud refused to even acknowledge the kidnapping attempt and instead caused trouble over the Cloud ninja's death._

_The demands for retribution were unreasonable. It couldn't be helped, however, for they were willing to wage war for it. Lord Hiashi was willing to die to keep another war from breaking out between the Hidden Cloud and Hidden Leaf. The elders, however, tried to dissuade Lord Hiashi from his decision, stating that the Byakugan was one of the strongest Kekkai Genkai in the Leaf and that it was the sworn duty of the head family to keep it's secret hidden no matter the cost._

_Lord Hiashi, however, was unwilling to change his mind. The elders then suggested that they use my corpse as a substitute, stating that it was why they had the branch family in the first place. Lord Hiashi, my big brother, your uncle, was against it. But I was ready to carry out my last duty. He tried to protest against it, but I gave him a swift punch to the gut to silence him. Not bad for your old man, right? However, he still tried to dissuade my decision by reminding me of you._

_I silenced him again, however, by telling him the truth._

_I wasn't willing to die to protect the head family, but rather to protect my brother and his family. I've only ever shown you my ugly side and for that, Neji, I am sorry. By choosing how I would die I felt more free than ever before. I was finally free to choose my own destiny._

_Neji, these are my final words to you. We of the branch family are able to choose our own destiny. Even though we must protect the head family we are free to choose our own path. Forge your own fate, Neji. We are able to forge our own path with our own hands._

_I will love you always, my son. _

_-Hiashi._

Neji's hands shook as his eyes teared up after reading the message left to him by his father.

"Father..." said Neji as his voice cracked. He then looked toward Hiashi only for his eyes to widen in shock as he saw the Hyuga clan head on his hands and knees bowing to him.

"This is the truth." said Hiashi. "I'm sorry." Neji stared at his uncle before sighing.

"Please Lord Hiashi, don't bow to me." said Neji. '_Father, I can't be sure if a person's destiny is like a cloud stuck on a fixed current, or if they are able to float on a breeze that they choose. I don't know. I don't understand it completely yet and maybe the destination is the same no matter what they choose. Just when you've picked a course along comes someone who has chosen a different path. One who is devoted to living life to it's fullest. There is real strength to those who live that life. I finally understand that now because of this latest battle._' Neji stood up.

'_Now father, I have the will to get stronger so I never lose to anyone again. That's what I feel like my goal is now._' thought Neji as he looked out the window to see two birds flying in the sky. '_Father, I wish you could see these birds flying. They're finding their freedom, too._'

-Next Chapter: Hit It, or Quit It! The Finals Get Complicated! part 2: Zero Motivation! The Guy with Cloud Envy!-

* * *

><p>UltimaShishigawa: That's it! Sorry for the short chapter, but I had to improvise because I forgot Sasuke and Gaara's fight was supposed to come after Naruto and Neji's fight, but was postponed 'til after Shikamaru and Temari's fight. Sorry again! -_-' Anyway, read, review, comment and don't flame! Peace, I'm out!<p> 


End file.
